The Highwayman
by NaLu x Buckets
Summary: Ever since the death of her mother, Princess Lucy has yearned for adventure. So when adventure offers an outstretched hand, Lucy jumps in with two feet. But with the royal guard searching and the anger of her father looming over her shoulder Lucy begins to fear for more than just herself. NaLu
1. Chapter 1 (PostedTheWrongStoryWoops)

**For all of you that follow me as an author, I know, I know, I need to actually finish my other stories before hoppin in here like** _ **nEW IDEA!**_ **But you'll have to deal with it. I had several ideas with the name 'highwayman'. One was that Lucy's father owned an inn in the middle of no where, and the highwayman (Natsu) made serveral stops there on his journey's just to see the beautiful Lucy, while red coats were chasing him and stuff. Another was that Lucy was flat out captured by a highwayman (or that she went willingly) for ransom, but she ends up enjoying herself and joining the 'guild;. But this one was the one I decided on, so I hope you enjoy!**

 **Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review, and I'll see you next time (which, knowing me, will probably be in the next year or so,)!**

 **xx**

She hadn't started out as she was now. No, if she were to honestly trace back to the day she was born, to the point in which her mother had died, she had been the perfect daughter. She dealt with the stuffy dresses she was forced into at a young age, and kept quiet about it (she especially kept quiet about the fact that on some occasion, she actually enjoyed wearing the high necked dresses and elegant pearls) she sat up straight at dinner, didn't bother her father when he worked, laced cheerful humor into her conversations, and was an all around good daughter to have.

But after her mother's tragic death, it was as if something inside of her had snapped. Before, she was able to convince herself that she enjoyed the lifestyle she lived, enjoyed the servants at her beck and call, enjoyed knowing that she could never really leave the castle's walls, enjoyed knowing that she would have an arranged marriage. In fact, she was able to convince herself that she didn't have to convince herself to love her life.

When her mother had closed her eyes for good, however, Lucy then realized that she wanted freedom. Her mother had been the sliver of freedom, of happiness she was allowed in the dull castle walls, but once that was gone, Lucy realized that she needed more than just a sliver. She needed it to be raining down on her in sweet rays.

So she went outside constantly. Practicing anything that was un-lady like, like learning how to use a whip with Aquarius or how to splinter arrows with Sagittarius. It made her feel more alive, more like she wasn't just the princess of Frenland, but that she was her own person. Sometimes, while the servants were asleep and her father was knee deep in taxing and papers, she would crawl out of the castle walls and slip through the forest. Her bare feet would earn scratches from the dead leaves and broken branches, but she would ignore them in favor of feeling the fresh wind against her free-flying hair.

It had been 7 years since her mother's death, and Lucy had snuck from the castle walls for the 5th time that week. Her arranged marriage loomed over her shoulders, causing her to feel very stressed, let alone the stress she always felt due to her father's cold, disapproving glare and the sharp flick of his wrist across her... So she blindly ran through the thick forests that surrounded the Heartfilia land, nearly avoiding trees that she didn't notice until she was inches from hitting them.

She ran until she started to see purple tints in the sky, which is when she plopped onto the cold ground and looked at the beauty of morning. But the more she sat there, the lighter the sky got and the more she panicked. If she wasn't home by 9 (at most) she would surely feel Aquarius' rath. Lucy shuddered at the thought before hopping up and running in the direction she assumed would lead her home.

It wasn't until she had reached an unknown road that she realized that she was lost.

Lucy let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes, in attempt to calm her nerves.

 _This is a road. Road means civilization._

So following her instincts, she began walking along the endless dirt road.

.~*~.~*~.

"No! Please! I'll do anything!" A woman shrieked. Lucy's head snapped up, the head which had started to droop with the need to sleep. She slipped her whip from it's 'sheathe' and fingered the sharp arrows on her back, a small, comforting movement that gave her a burst of confidence. Using that burst, she took off running towards the source of the voice, not even bothering being stealthy.

Just as she turned the corner on the gravel road, her eyes met the source of the screaming and whimpering. There was a carriage, obviously someone's of the upper class, a woman standing next to it, also someone of the upper class, and a man completely covered in black, cornering her at sword point. The only thing that really stood out about him was strange pink hair, which jutted out in some places from underneath his large black hat.

Lucy froze, her eyes turning angrier by the second. " _A highwayman_ " Lucy hissed under her breath before cracking her whip to catch his attention. Agreeing to her silent wishes, the man turned towards the source of the noise.

"Let her be and take me instead, you thief!" She yelled out to the highwayman, taking long strides towards him and the shaking woman. The man grinned, his black mask not containing the amused sparkle of his dark eyes, or was it thankful? Lucy couldn't tell, she was too tired and needed sleep, but there was no way she would abandon someone like this.

"What could you have that I would possibly want?" He yelled in return, his toothy grin not faltering.

Lucy froze once again, realizing how she looked. A short, mid-thigh dress was in place of her elegant gowns, leather gloves instead of the silk white ones, a black choker resting where her jewels would normally sit. But she did have one thing. Lucy had her name, and she most certainly wasn't going to use it in vain.

"Trust me," She said, her own smile stretching across her features, "Once you know who I am, you will toss that young maiden aside like rodents in the attic."

The highwayman tossed a quick glance at the woman he was stealing from, and if Lucy wasn't as tired as she was, she could've sworn she saw his concealed eyes soften. "Fine then," He started as he sheathed his sword, "but if you disappoint me, there will be hell to pay."

Lucy nodded and sprinted to the woman, who looked like she was about to faint.

"Thank you, my dear." She whispered softly, touching Lucy's arm, "Is there any way I can repay you?" Lucy smiled gently at the woman, a smile that hardly reached her eyes. "Just promise me you will never, ever tell anyone about this encounter," Lucy glanced to the carriage, where a man who she assumed was the coachman, "and make sure your 'friend' doesn't either."

The woman followed Lucy's gaze, and then frowned, but nodded her head. "Promise". Lucy smiled again in return before turning back to the highwayman, who was staring at the ground and kicking the air. She tried not to laugh at his childish behavior, but found it harder by the second, forcing her to hide behind her hand.

"Well, almighty highwayman," Lucy giggled between her fingers, catching said man's attention, "shall we get going?"


	2. Learning

**Sorry for the short, boring chapter, it's kind of a filler to help me get in the swing of things again. Thank you so much for all of the follows, favorites, and reviews, and I hope you enjoy! xx**

It was strange riding on a horse with no saddle.

It was also strange riding on a horse this quickly.

Those two aspects and made Lucy horrified when he first helped her on to his steed, yet made her feel exhilarated once they started riding.

Nonetheless, she still held around his waist as if her life depended on it.

Which, considering the circumstance, it probably did.

"I never got your name," Lucy shouted over the steady gallop of the horses hooves. The masked man glanced back at her, an action that sent her stomach to the ground, for now the only person with eyes ahead was the horse itself. But as quickly as he had looked back, his eyes were forward once more, now accompanied by a quiet smirk.

"I don't see why I should tell you," She could feel his grin grow wider, "You might arrest me."

"Uhhuh, seems very likely," Lucy glanced down at the blur of grass below her.

They sat in silence for a while, allowing the young princess to get used to the sound of trees whirring past her ears. It was loud, and very uncomfortable at first, but now that she was accompanied to them, the pressure the sound put on her ears was actually calming.

"Natsu." The pinkette shouted all of a sudden, interrupting the peace.

"What?" Lucy shouted back, the word ringing in the back of her head, slowly slipping through her fingers like a dream soon forgotten.

"That's my name," He paused, "Natsu," The highwayman repeated.

Then suddenly, whether it was the carefree grin or the cheerful pink hair, she understood why _Natsu_ was so familiar to her.

 _Summer_ , she thought to herself as she watched the man dressed in black ride. There was not a name more fitting, for he seemed like the physical form of the season itself.

"I'm Lu-" Lucy froze, as realization dawned upon her, "I mean uhh, L-Layla, b-b-but you can _call_ me L-Lu," She couldn't tell him, not yet. It was too dangerous right now.

Natsu glanced back, the grin he always seemed to wear showing no suspicion.

"Wellll _Lu,_ we've arrived, and trust me," He shot her a wink, "You're gonna love it here."

And just like that, the submerged from the trees, and into a large field full of tents and bustling people.

A place that just seemed to give of the vibe of _home._


End file.
